"Every journey begins with a single step."
This is one of my favorite quotes because it is so true. I have been thinking about starting a blog for some time and decided today was the day. My goal is to share with you the things that bring me the most happiness. Aside from the hubby, family, and friends I love to cook, exercise, paint, travel, hike, canoe, camp, and pretty much anything else you can do outdoors!
I am somewhat obsessed with and always searching for delicious and nutritious recipes and plan to share many of those with you. I tried my hand at vegan brownies last week. The ingredients included a ripe banana, applesauce, cocoa, cinnamon, and black beans. Yep, BLACK BEANS. Black beans are a great way to incorporate fiber and protein into your diet. I can't take credit for this recipe so here is the link:
This is the final product. I thought they were good and snacked on them all week for dessert. My mom, a chocolate lover, was not sure what to think when I told her they were black bean brownies, my husband just laughed, and my brother Nick thought they were pretty good! Hey, I will take it! If all else fails, throw some vanilla ice cream on top and call it a day!
I also want to share one of my favorite smoothie recipes. By favorite, I mean only. I am trying to get into the idea of drinking my fruits and veggies. As of right now, I prefer to eat my veggies rather than drink them but this is actually quite delicious. Even my husband is a believer.
Add 1/2 banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup of spinach, and 1/2-1 cup milk or other liquid to blender. Pulse a few times then blend until desired consistency.
I thought the color would end up having a green hue but I was pleasantly surprised with the strawberry-like color. The only thing I would suggest is throwing in some protein powder so the smoothie sticks with you a little longer. I am a "eat every few hours" type of person and I was hoping the smoothie would keep me full a tad bit longer. I always tell my family if I am grouchy for no reason put a piece a food in my mouth!
I want you to meet Magic. He is the first addition to our family. Our neighbor found him a few weeks ago. We think he got dropped off in our neighborhood because somebody couldn't afford him. Our neighbor looked for the owners and we contacted the humane society and after no luck we took all 65 lbs of him in, got him up to date on vaccines, and provided him with a home, rawhides, greenies, toys, and lots of love. We couldn't imagine life without him but I could do without picking up the morning poo on our walks. Big dog = big poop.
Have a good weekend and a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY shout out to all the moms out there.
